The present invention relates generally to methods and interactive apparatus for assisting in the instruction of bicycle riders. More specifically, the present invention provides a method and apparatus to assist in systematically imparting necessary skills to a bicycle rider involving the selective use of auxiliary or "training" wheels, and manually controlling and guiding bicycle movement.
One of the more difficult rites of passage for most children is learning to ride a bicycle. Children typically begin riding tricycles which require no balance to operate and ultimately graduate to bicycles which require more skill, balance and coordination to ride. Bicycle operation requires the coordination of hand and foot movement, and general body control related to balance in keeping the bicycle moving in an upright disposition under rapidly changing balancing forces. The rider must learn to propel the bicycle using his feet to turn two cranks which rotate a sprocket. The constant up and down motion of the feet on the pedals cause balancing forces to shift from left to right during movement. Straight line movement of the bicycle is complicated by the necessarily steerable front wheel which is operable by using a handlebar pivotably mounted to the front wheel and capable of movement in either direction to control the bicycle's direction of movement. Further, change of direction can be achieved by leaning the bicycle to one side or the other combined with almost imperceptible handlebar movement. Again, balance and coordination are key to the successful operation of the bicycle. Typically, children's bicycles will have a braking system based on a so-called "coaster brake" which is operable by reversing the direction of the sprocket using the pedals. Balance and coordination are again necessary to bring the bicycle safely to a stop under the influence of braking forces.
Mastery of the above-discussed skills is an imposing task for a four- to five-year-old child. Too often the training wheels are removed from a bicycle before the child is ready and the child's pride can be hurt by having to reinstall training wheels which imparts a sense of failure. Further, given that some children are inherently more coordinated than others, children who are inordinately slow in acquiring the necessary skills to ride a bicycle can be socially traumatized by the experience of facing their friends and appearing awkward or even cowardly.
In addition, parents are often helpless in teaching their children the necessary skills. Verbal instruction is only partially effective in teaching a skill which is primarily a physical experience. Typically, parents will let the child operate a bicycle with training wheels for a transitional period between tricycles and bicycles, and then remove the training wheels to let the child suddenly find himself on his own. The parent must watch helplessly as the child careens down the street or sidewalk under very little control and perhaps falling over or veering off course. This experience can be very frustrating and painful for the child and nerve-racking for the parents. Most often, parents will have to hold onto the rider or the seat to guide the child down the street while the child acquires a sense of balance rolling upright on two wheels. However, this direct parental contact with the rider or the seat physically interferes with the child's control and movement of the bicycle and can impart instability and imbalance. If the child starts from an imbalanced position or the parent pushes the child in an unbalanced manner, the rider will be attempting to initially gain balance control and will have little sense of what proper bicycle motion feels like.
Accordingly, there is a need for an interactive device to allow the bicycle to be controlled by an instructing parent in a balanced and directive manner, and to provide the selective use of auxiliary wheels. Further, there is a need for a method to provide progressive removal of auxiliary support to a rider until the rider is sufficiently skilled to operate a bicycle safely on his own.